This was the story of William Dampier, explorer, naturalist, and buccaneer who lived from 1651 to 1715. He was one of the most accomplished navigators at sea and circumnavigated the world 3 times; he took meticulous notes of what he observed of wild life, botanical specimens, and native peoples. Some of his botanical specimens can still be seen in collections in Great Britain. He also made detailed maps of unexplored places that were helpful to those who came after him. He was a celebrity in his time but faded into obscurity for future generations until Diana Preston wrote this book. One theory our group came up with is that because most of his voyages were done illegally on pirate ships which had no letter of marquee (which legalized privateers who attacked the enemies of England) and around the time of his death pirates were not being looked on as sanguinely as they had been his exploits were not written up by the writers of his time and his own writings were allowed to fade into obscurity. There was lively discussion in our group read about Dampier’s character because he was involved in so many piratical activities. My opinion is that he was an amoral pragmatist. He was not enthusiastic about the pirate aspects of his voyages; although he did like getting treasure he was not as bloodthirsty as many of his shipmates and even less so as he got older. He learned to appreciate the natives he “studied” as humans and disliked seeing them harmed—although he wasn’t above capturing some of them for slaves. He even tried to make a go of it as an officer in the Royal Navy, but that didn’t work out so he had to return to pirating—although with a letter of marquee this time. His main passion was making discoveries and then writing about them and that is how he wished to be remembered. Pirating was a means to an end; and for him the end justified the means. ( )

I read this, as part of my first group read. It's a terrific biography! The research was awe-inspiring and the narrative flow was perfect. Pirate or not, Dampier was one heck of an explorer and naturalist, just sadly neglected. I highly recommend it! ( )

Really enjoyed the book found it entertaining and educational. Recommended reading for middle and high school students. ( )

http://boekenwijs.blogspot.com/2008/1... ( )

In attempting to assess William Dampier it is necessary to address the reality of the contradictory impressions that reading about him gives rise to.

Ws he “ a pirate ruffian that ought to have been hung” or an intellectual genius whose navigational and scientific achievements were unparalleled in history. The answer, of course, is both.

It was this very contradiction in his character that created the title for this book: “A Pirate of Exquisite Mind,” and which led the author’s to write about this fascinating personality.

Dampier had the heart of a pirate throughout his life but his immense intellectual curiosity and his brilliant mind led him to record his acute observations and to thus gain a reputation as a man of natural science.

Dampier’s intellectual and scientific contribution and legacy has been immense and for this he is to be esteemed, but like all of us, he had “a heart that was deceitful above all things and desperately wicked.” It is just that he lived in a time when he could find full expression for his ambitions and was able to express the dark side of himself more easily and more overtly than we are able to.

Who knows, if we had lived then, we too may have been pirates or at the least have approved his actions. After all, many pirates became privateers another name for legalised pirates and providing they attacked England’s enemies they were exempt from punishment.

But one thing is certain, we would not have been able to equal his accomplishments.

This book was remarkably well researched. The author’s retraced Dampier’s routes, they have provided extensive notes and sources, and there is a comprehensive bibliography and an index. Apposite illustrations appear throughout the text in this very well written book. It is an enjoyable read and highly recommended. ( )